As the sky darkened, the temperature dropped quickly, and I was reminded that I was indeed on the top of a mountain, albeit a modest one. I dug into my pack, put on every available piece of clothing I had, and hunkered down for the night.
I didn’t sleep much, partly because it was near freezing (somewhere near 40°F), and partly because I had a sense that I was treading on hallowed ground. I woke before the sun came up, and wandered around with my cameras… looking for something that said Mount Sinai. As the sun peeked over the horizon, I saw the Bedouin water vendor saying his morning prayers. I spent an hour or so shooting and wandering around before heading down the mountain.
As all of this took place before the advent of digital cameras. I didn’t see the image of the man praying on the top of Mount Sinai until months later, when I returned home and had my film processed. A flood of warmth came over me, as I remembered the frustration and moment of panic I felt during that exhausting day in the Sinai. Then I thought, “Wow, that was one of the coolest places I’ve ever been.”
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Photo: Lori Epstein
